Recruiting Updates and Features 
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Recruiting Updates and Features
Courtland (Spotsylvania, VA) forward Josh Hairston, one of the most highly recruited players in the 2010 recruiting class, has earned scholarship offers from Clemson, Duke, Kansas, Memphis, Ohio State, Virginia and Virginia Tech, among others. The 6-8, 215-pound prospect would like to make his college choice by the beginning of his junior season, but he admits that he is open to waiting beyond that timetable if necessary.
Tristan Spurlock's AAU career may have come to an end earlier this week, but his decision-making process is heating up. The 6-8, 216-pound wing forward will indeed make an unofficial visit to Georgetown on Tuesday with a college decision likely to come in the very near future.
Erinn Thompson is counting down the days until she hits the hardwood for the Cavaliers. While the 6'3" Virginia commit has more than a year before she arrives in Charlottesville, it can't come soon enough. This season, Thompson will attempt to lead her high school team to its fourth consecutive state title - and she doesn't expect any different results.
The University of Virginia men's basketball program picked up its first 2009 class commitment last Friday, when Bethel (Hampton, VA) point guard Jontel Evans pledged to the Cavaliers. The 5-11, 185-pound prospect had also received scholarship offers from Marquette, Old Dominion, Rutgers, VCU and Virginia Tech, but a handful of factors pushed Virginia over the top.
Earlier this week, Bethel (Hampton, VA) varsity boys' basketball coach Craig Brehon said rising senior Jontel Evans made a big decision about his college future. Evans had decided to pursue basketball on the next level instead of football. Well, it didn't take long for Evans to make his next choice - the 5-11, 180-pound point guard gave a verbal commitment to Virginia and Dave Leitao on Friday.
Rice (New York, N.Y.) two-guard Durand Scott lists the University of Virginia as one of his handful of Division 1 scholarship offers. The 6-4, 180-pound rising senior, who also claims offers from Memphis, Miami, Pitt, St. John's, Wake Forest and Xavier, was in Charlottesville last week for the NBPA Top 100 Camp and was impressed by the experience.
Mount Tabor (Winston-Salem, N.C.) guard C.J. Harris attended last year's NBPA Top 100 Camp as a rising junior and admits "I got pushed around a lot, but it really prepared me. It showed me where I needed to be and how much stronger, quicker and faster I needed to get."
His return to the NBPA Camp has been more productive, as Harris feels like he has played well this week. He has been able to show off his versatility and ability to play either guard position.
6-7, 210-pound forward Isaiah Philmore is excited to be in Charlottesville right now for the NBPA Top 100 Camp. The John Carroll (Bel Air, MD) standout rising senior is anxious to match his talents against other top prospects from across the country, and he is hopeful that those who do rankings will notice his performance.
6-3 1/2, 180-pound guard J.T. Terrell, who seems to be one of the University of Virginia's top 2010 class targets, is in Charlottesville for the NBPA Top 100 Camp. The Cummings (Burlington, N.C.) star has been impressed with what he has seen this week, and UVa is high on his list.
Point guard Mfon Udofia, a 6-2, 180-pound player from Miller Grove in Georgia, plays the position the way a coach wants it to be played. He passes the ball willingly and gets teammates involved. He takes the open shot when it's there. He hounds the opposing point guard on defense. He dictates tempo. He leads on the floor. In fact, Udofia thinks his on-court leadership ability - he constantly communicated with his teammates and even physically nudged one in the right direction on defense once in Thursday morning action at the NBPA Top 100 Camp - is one of his strongest traits.
Small forward Ari Stewart, a 6-7, 190-pound prospect out of Marietta, Ga., is not afraid to attack the basket. That fact was immediately clear during an afternoon game at the NBPA Top 100 Camp being held at Virginia's John Paul Jones Arena. When asked whether taking it to the rim was a part of his game, Stewart flashed a wide smile before answering.
Ravenscroft (Raleigh, N.C.) forward Ryan Kelly, one of Virginia's top targets in the 2009 class, is currently in Charlottesville, participating in the NBPA Top 100 Camp. The 6-9, 205-pound prospect arrived at the University of Virginia a day before the camp for another unofficial visit, with the main goal being to spend more time with Cavaliers players.
Some guys know what it's like to play inside. They get down on the block on offense, and rebound and get big on defense. Others prefer to hang out on the perimeter. They're the slashers, the shooters, the ball-handlers. Sherrod Wright has done both. A shooting guard out of Mount Vernon, N.Y., that Virginia has its eye on, Wright put all of his skills - of which there are many - on display over the weekend at the Southern Invitational in Charlottesville for his AAU team, Playaz Gold.
With Charlottesville already buzzing with postseason action for men's and women's lacrosse and men's tennis and a home series for the Virginia baseball team, the Southern Invitational AAU Tournament hosted by UVa over the weekend added to the sports chaos around town. All of the best teams from up and down the East Coast congregated for two days of round robin action Friday night into Saturday afternoon, capped by a bracket-style playoffs Saturday night and Sunday.
The last day of exams at the University of Virginia frequently has marked the start to a great weekend of basketball for many of the state's and East Coast's most talented AAU programs. This weekend's Southern Invitational once again takes place at UVa, and the 2008 edition looks to be just as strong as previous years. Often featuring top recruiting targets, the weekend event has featured the likes of Sean Singletary, Patrick Patterson, Mike Scott, J.J. Redick, Mustafa Shakur, Carmelo Anthony, and J.R. Reynolds in the past.
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